Abner Basset

Abner Basset (1740-17) was one of the first captains in the Continental Navy, controlling USS Dolphin.

Biography
Basset was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and served in the Royal Navy since the age of thirteen. In 1758 he took part in the expedition to capture Louisbourg during the French and Indian War, and in 1763 he returned home as an experienced sailor. Basset opened a merchant shipping company that ran coffee from Providence to the Bahamas, and he made lots of money as an entrepreneur.

His skills were once again a useful asset to the Thirteen Colonies, but this time against Britain. In early 1775 he was recruited by the rebel admiral John Paul Jones as the captain of USS Dolphin, a sloop built in Boston. He, Jones, and Eliot Arkwright were the first three captains of the Continental Navy, and they docked in Providence.